history of vidoxvidox.com/wp-content/uploads/vidox-history-2.pdf · videography in 1991 i began...
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204 Winchester Drive | Lafayette, LA 70506
337-237-1700 | vidox.com
By Chris Allain
HISTORY OF VIDOX
1982STARTUP
I first hung my producer shingle in 1982; although in
truth, it only hung on the door of a spare bedroom.
But, I was open for business. I’d just completed
graduate studies at what is now the University of
Louisiana. At the time video production was a new industry,
and a proper facility required a huge capital investment. That
kind of facility seemed unattainable or, at least, something
to be realized in the very distant future. But, with $1,500 in
savings and an $8,500 loan, I took the plunge. A wish list
pinned to a bulletin board, seemingly so modest now, hung
for years before I was able to scratch off the last “critical” piece
of equipment.
For the first few years, determined to succeed, I took any work
that paid—weddings, baptisms, high school football games,
and small commercial projects. Although this type of work
wasn’t the ultimate goal, the experience was valuable. The gulf
coast oil bust of the mid eighties, which decimated Lafayette’s
economy, helped to make the early years quite lean. I remain
grateful to my wife Tammy for her patience and support, and
of course for her vital teacher’s paycheck.
It’s difficult to remember a time before the Internet, but in the
early years, information was fairly difficult to come by. The
production industry at the time, particularly field production,
was a sort of guild; to a lesser extent, it remains that way
today. Apprenticeship was the only practical way to obtain
proficiency, and that wasn’t really possible without leaving the
area. So growth was slow, but steady, for my one-man band.
That began to change in 1989 with the hiring of my first
employee, and now partner, Scott Rachal. It didn’t take long
to see Scott’s extraordinary talent and dedication. Together we
pushed forward and truly began to perfect our craft. Over the
next decade we continually re-invested nearly all profits, and
grew steadily.
Much of the following history of Vidox is the history of the
industry over the last three decades. It is by nature technical,
but, hopefully, an interesting story nonetheless.
1982STARTUP
337-237-1700 | vidox.com
1991A PUSH FOR A
NEW PARADIGM
337-237-1700 | vidox.com
VIDEOGRAPHY In 1991 I began writing for Videography
Magazine. Editor Brian McKernan provided me with my first
opportunity to write for a national magazine. I am grateful that
over the years, he has remained a great supporter, collaborator,
and friend. As a Videography Contributing Editor for over a
decade, I chronicled pioneering efforts to find and develop
digital video tools and techniques for use in our growing
business. In the nineteen eighties and nineties, a state of the
art video post-production facility might have employed fifty
or a hundred individual pieces of equipment—from analog
tape machines, to black box signal processors with blinking
lights and whirring fans. They generated lots of heat, required
lots of power and air conditioning, performed often arcane
functions, and oh, were they costly.
Although computers at the time had a small fraction of the
power they have today, there were a handful of visionaries
with a dream—to adapt the appealing graphic user interface
of personal computers, particularly the Macintosh computer,
to the processes of post-production. Although bound by the
day’s technology, Scott and I relentlessly pushed the envelope
in this exciting new direction. The goal was to develop better
human interfaces for the process of post-production and to
lower the cost of entry.
For years we installed, interfaced, and tested a seemingly
endless stream of peripheral equipment, complex video
boards, and specialized software. Each new overnight delivery
promised to solve the problem du jour. The process required
countless, sometimes daily, conversations with manufacturers
and developers from all over the country. I told our story in
the pages of Videography and in speeches at conferences from
Los Angeles to Boston.
OPEN STUDIO In the mid 1990’s, I co-founded the Open
Studio Association with Videography contributing editor
Craig Birkmaier. Open studio was a technical group supported
by major manufacturers like Apple, Microsoft, and Panasonic.
This effort ran for several years, as engineers, software and
hardware developers, and media producers refined standards
for the use of open-system computer technology in video
production. Through roundtables and conferences in Las
Vegas, Los Angelos., San Francisco, Monterey, Orlando, and
New Orleans, Open Studio focused on interoperability —
getting devices to communicate and work together.
Open Studio participants were among the earliest to
understand something inconceivable to most at the time: a
single computer would one day replace an entire edit suite.
They led an industry, solving problems one by one, and
guided manufacturers toward the solutions they envisioned.
Off-the-shelf video production software packages, commonly
available by the year 2000, were unimaginable a decade earlier.
As personal computers matured to truly support digital video,
Vidox was no longer split between pioneering new technology
and using it. Eventually we could focus full-time on producing
great media content. A new paradigm for the industry led to a
new chapter for Vidox.
1991A PUSH FOR A NEW PARADIGM
1993NON-LINEAR
AN EDITORIAL LEAP Vidox marked a major leap forward
in 1993 with the acquisition of an Avid Technology “Media
Composer”. This system was the first widely used “non-
linear” digital video editing system available. The Avid
allowed editing of video on a timeline using picture icons, an
interface style still used today. A non-linear editor was to a
traditional linear editing system what a word processor was
to a typewriter. It significantly increased speed and creative
freedom, but image quality wasn’t acceptable for finishing
programs and commercials. Personal computers simply didn’t
have the power yet. So most top facilities at the time, made
editorial decisions on the Avid, but they would “conform” the
edit on-line. An on-line conform was a semi-automated, but
tedious re-edit using a conventional “linear” edit suite. The
process was linear because each shot had to be laid after the
one that preceded it. If an editor had to add two seconds to the
beginning of the video, the entire program had
to be re-edited.
NETWORK QUALITY Linear video editing is a hugely
technical process requiring concentration and great timing
and reflexes. An editor would operate in a suite filled with
specialized equipment, black boxes, and loads of video
tape recorders or “VTRs”. In addition to being an editorial
artist, the video editor in 1995 had to be something of an
engineer, especially in smaller facilities. An editor in a room
surrounded by machines had to know how to work each piece
of equipment, how to keep it working, and how to know
when it wasn’t.
Although we knew that production technology was changing
rapidly, business growth required continuous, though careful
investment in conventional on-line equipment. In 1995 we
upgraded our facility to a component analog suite including
switcher, digital video effects, multiple VTRs, signal routers,
and a Digital Betacam mastering deck. This suite represented
a milestone in image quality and production capability. For
the first time Vidox could produce at “Network Quality”—
at the time, the term “Network Quality” represented the holy
grail of video production benchmarks.
1993 NON-LINEAR
337-237-1700 | vidox.com
TODAYA NEW ERA
337-237-1700 | vidox.com
By the year 2000, Vidox had shifted all of its editing to the
latest Avid Media Composer. This system, the first of its kind
in the state of Louisiana, allowed uncompressed, non-linear
editing at a quality level comparable to an on-line system. The
Avid had matured into an excellent, reliable tool and a suite
once filled with machines now had far fewer blinking lights
and equipment racks. In the years that followed, lower cost
post-production systems became more and more powerful
and the Avid was, itself, retired to our hi-tech equipment
graveyard.
TOOL IMPROVEMENTS In 2003 we traded our cozy 1300
square foot shop for an 8000 square foot office and studio. We
went from two parking space to thirty-two. The acquisition
and renovation took about a year and the size of the project
tested me in ways I hadn’t imagined.
Early in 2003 we started shooting high definition video on
select projects and a few years later began to edit in HD. In 2007
we moved to shooting HD video on solid-state memory cards
and eliminated the use of videotape. A year later we acquired
a Panasonic P2 Varicam—a remarkable digital cinema camera
that produces images suitable for theatrical feature films.
That year we also began editing virtually all content in HD
even though two years later, in 2010 few area TV stations
could even playback an HD spot. Today, digital motion picture
systems used by Vidox offer a cinematic look that was once the
exclusive domain of the major film studios.
A NEW CHAPTER Throughout the decade tools improved
gradually, the cost dropped, and the whirlwind slowed.
Revolutionary change gave way to evolutionary change. The
next software release no longer had the power to change the
game. The tools, once so critical, became almost incidental.
The post-production process, once nearly athletic, became
more cerebral. In many ways, for the first time, imagination
was the limit, and skill mattered most. It was on to a new era
of producing motion imagery.
Excellence has always been our mantra and after nearly
three decades Vidox has established a tradition as a media
production technology leader focused on creating stunning
motion imagery and world-class content.
TODAYA NEW ERA
Many thanks to the clients, partners, supporters,
and friends we’ve had the pleasure to associate
with over the years.
Vidox is a full service video production company with
in-house capabilities for any kind of video project.
ADVERTISING
CORPORATE
TELEVISION
ANIMATIONVidox is a full service production company. We have the in-house capabili-
ties for any size commercial, shoot or animation. Honestly, we offer more
services than we can name!
Creative
Pre-Production
Cinematography
Editing
Animation
Sound + Music Design
Interactive MediaINTERACTIVE
Commercials
Infomercials
Branded Entertainment
Web Video
Marketing Videos
Training Videos
Corporate Films
Presentations
Events
TV Commercials
- Local - Regional - National Documentaries
Program Opens/Closes
Station ID Packages
Motion Graphics Packages
Music Videos
2D Animation
- Cel - Stop Motion - Compositing 3D Animation
- Advertising - Industrial - MarketingVisual Effects
- Green Screen - Rotoscoping - Wire Removal - Matchmoving
Sound Design
Custom Music
Voice Overs
Location Sound
DVD Authoring
Blue-Ray Authoring
DVD Replication
CD Replication
Fundraising
Advocacy
Public Service
NON-PROFIT 337-237-1700 | vidox.com
AUDIO